Empfangen Conjugation in German
empfangen means “to receive” in English, and it is a verb German learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of empfangen — every tense, every person, the participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “I receive a letter from my sister.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: German endings change with the person and the tense, and empfangen is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: empfangen
- English: to receive
- Verb type: Strong verb
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): empfangend
- Past participle (Partizip II): empfangen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for empfangen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
empfangen is a strong verb with a vowel change in the present tense: the stem vowel changes from a → ä in the du and er/sie/es forms — empfängst, empfängt — while ich, wir, ihr and sie keep the plain stem. The preterite changes the stem again (empfing), and the past participle is empfangen.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for empfangen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the Präteritum, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | empfange |
| du | empfängst |
| er/sie/es | empfängt |
| wir | empfangen |
| ihr | empfangt |
| sie/Sie | empfangen |
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | empfing |
| du | empfingst |
| er/sie/es | empfing |
| wir | empfingen |
| ihr | empfingt |
| sie/Sie | empfingen |
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe empfangen |
| du | hast empfangen |
| er/sie/es | hat empfangen |
| wir | haben empfangen |
| ihr | habt empfangen |
| sie/Sie | haben empfangen |
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte empfangen |
| du | hattest empfangen |
| er/sie/es | hatte empfangen |
| wir | hatten empfangen |
| ihr | hattet empfangen |
| sie/Sie | hatten empfangen |
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde empfangen |
| du | wirst empfangen |
| er/sie/es | wird empfangen |
| wir | werden empfangen |
| ihr | werdet empfangen |
| sie/Sie | werden empfangen |
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde empfangen haben |
| du | wirst empfangen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird empfangen haben |
| wir | werden empfangen haben |
| ihr | werdet empfangen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden empfangen haben |
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | empfange |
| du | empfangest |
| er/sie/es | empfange |
| wir | empfangen |
| ihr | empfanget |
| sie/Sie | empfangen |
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | empfinge |
| du | empfingest |
| er/sie/es | empfinge |
| wir | empfingen |
| ihr | empfinget |
| sie/Sie | empfingen |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte empfangen |
| du | hättest empfangen |
| er/sie/es | hätte empfangen |
| wir | hätten empfangen |
| ihr | hättet empfangen |
| sie/Sie | hätten empfangen |
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | empfang |
| wir | empfangen |
| ihr | empfangt |
| sie/Sie | empfangen |
Participles and infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | empfangend |
| Past participle (Partizip II) | empfangen |
| Infinitive | empfangen |
When to use each tense
Present (Präsens)
The present tense is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With empfangen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “I receive a letter from my sister.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past, especially in writing and narration. With empfangen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du empfingst einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “You received a letter from my sister.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
The Perfekt is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With empfangen it is formed with haben + the past participle empfangen. For example: “Er hat einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “He has received a letter from my sister.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
The Plusquamperfekt is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “We had received a letter from my sister.”
Future (Futur I)
The Futur I is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Ihr werdet einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “You will receive a letter from my sister.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
The Futur II is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Sie werden einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen haben.” — “They will have received a letter from my sister.”
Konjunktiv I
The Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfange.” — “It is important that I receive a letter from my sister.”
Konjunktiv II
The Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, polite requests and hypothetical situations — it also doubles as the conditional. There is no separate würde tense in the tables: the Konjunktiv II forms below do the work of the conditional, and würde + infinitive is the periphrastic alternative you will hear in speech. For example: “Du empfingest einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “You would receive a letter from my sister if you could.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “He would have received a letter from my sister if he had been able to.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With empfangen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Empfang einen Brief von meiner Schwester!” — “Receive a letter from my sister!”
Participles and infinitive
The present participle is empfangend — “while receiving” — used as an adjective or adverb. The past participle is empfangen, used with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe empfangen. The infinitive is empfangen.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with empfangen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “I receive a letter from my sister.”
- “Du empfängst einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “You receive a letter from my sister.”
- “Er empfing einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “He received a letter from my sister.”
- “Ich habe einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “I have received a letter from my sister.”
- “Er hatte einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “He had received a letter from my sister.”
- “Wir werden einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.” — “We will receive a letter from my sister.”
- “Ich werde einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen haben.” — “I will have received a letter from my sister.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfange.” — “It is important that I receive a letter from my sister.”
- “Ich empfinge einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “I would receive a letter from my sister if I could.”
- “Empfang einen Brief von meiner Schwester!” — “Receive a letter from my sister!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich empfangen einen Brief von meiner Schwester.”
✓ Right: “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.”
The infinitive empfangen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form empfange.
2. Confusing empfangen with bekommen
✗ Wrong: “Ich bekommen einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.”
empfangen means “to receive”; bekommen means “to get”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Applying the regular pattern to empfangen
✗ Wrong: “Ich empfangte einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” (a guessed regular preterite)
✓ Right: “Ich empfing einen Brief von meiner Schwester.”
empfangen is irregular in present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The preterite form for ich is empfing, not what the regular -te endings would give — learn it as a set.
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfängst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use empfangest here, not the indicative empfängst.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Brief von meiner Schwester empfangen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe empfangen), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of empfangen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) empfange
- B) empfangen
- C) empfangt
- D) empfängst
What is the er/sie/es form of empfangen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) empfängt
- B) empfange
- C) empfangen
- D) empfängst
What is the ich form of empfangen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) empfingt
- B) empfingst
- C) empfingen
- D) empfing
What is the ich form of empfangen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben empfangen
- B) habe empfangen
- C) hat empfangen
- D) habt empfangen
What is the wir form of empfangen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattet empfangen
- B) hattest empfangen
- C) hatten empfangen
- D) hatte empfangen
What is the du form of empfangen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst empfangen
- B) werdet empfangen
- C) werde empfangen
- D) wird empfangen
What is the ich form of empfangen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) werde empfangen haben
- B) werden empfangen haben
- C) wird empfangen haben
- D) wirst empfangen haben
What is the ich form of empfangen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) empfinget
- B) empfingest
- C) empfinge
- D) empfingen
What is the past participle of empfangen?
- A) empfing
- B) empfangen
- C) empfangend
- D) empfange
What does empfangen mean in English?
- A) to get
- B) to do
- C) to come
- D) to receive
Answer key
- A) empfange — the ich form of empfangen in the present tense is empfange.
- A) empfängt — the er/sie/es form of empfangen in the present tense is empfängt.
- D) empfing — the ich form of empfangen in the preterite is empfing.
- B) habe empfangen — the ich form of empfangen in the Perfekt is habe empfangen.
- C) hatten empfangen — the wir form of empfangen in the Plusquamperfekt is hatten empfangen.
- A) wirst empfangen — the du form of empfangen in the Futur I is wirst empfangen.
- A) werde empfangen haben — the ich form of empfangen in the Futur II is werde empfangen haben.
- C) empfinge — the ich form of empfangen in the Konjunktiv II is empfinge.
- B) empfangen — the past participle of empfangen is empfangen; perfect tenses use haben + empfangen.
- D) to receive — empfangen means “to receive” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does empfangen mean in English?
empfangen means “to receive”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” (“I receive a letter from my sister.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is empfangen regular or irregular?
empfangen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is empfangend and the past participle is empfangen.
What are the participles of empfangen?
The present participle is empfangend and the past participle is empfangen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe empfangen.
What is the difference between empfangen and bekommen?
empfangen means “to receive”, while bekommen means “to get”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for bekommen and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I receive” in German?
Say “Ich empfange einen Brief von meiner Schwester.” — “I receive a letter from my sister.” The ich form of the present is empfange, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn empfangen
Start with the present tense: empfange, empfängst, empfängt, empfangen, empfangt, empfangen. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the Perfekt — habe empfangen — and the Präteritum — empfing. Next, learn the future (werde empfangen) and the Konjunktiv II (empfinge), which also does the work of the conditional. Finally, tackle Konjunktiv I (empfange) and the imperative (empfang). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the quiz.
Related pages
- empfangen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the Perfekt tense.
- empfangen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise empfangen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise empfangen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.